Structural Diversity and Chemical Trends in Hybrid Inorganic-Organic

Structural diversity and chemical trends in hybrid inorganic-organic framework materials 

Received (in Cambridge, UK) 18th July 2006, Accepted 20th October 2006 First published as an Advance Article on the web 7th November 2006 DOI 10.1039/b610264f 

Hybrid framework compounds, including both metal-organic coordination polymers and systems that contain extended inorganic connectivity (extended inorganic hybrids), have recently developed into an important new class of solid-state materials. We examine the diversity of this complex class of materials, propose a simple but systematic classification, and explore the chemical and geometrical factors that influence their formation. We also discuss the growing evidence that many hybrid frameworks tend to form under thermodynamic rather than kinetic control when the synthesis is carried out under hydrothermal conditions. Finally, we explore the potential applications of hybrid frameworks in areas such as gas separations and storage, 

The purpose of this feature article is to give an overview of developments in the field of hybrid inorganic-organic framework structures over recent years, especially during the last decade. We have not attempted to be comprehensive because of the huge amount of activity in the area, but instead we have focused on placing these developments in a broader context. We shall illustrate the enormous chemical and structural diversity of these materials and discuss some of the systematic trends that are starting to appear in synthetic routes for 

Tony Cheetham was a member of the Chemistry faculty at Oxford, 1974-1991, and has been at the University of California at Santa Barbara since 1991. He is Professor in both the Materials and Chemistry Departments at UCSB, and since 2004 has been the Director of the new International Center for Materials Research (ICMR). Cheetham s research interests lie in the area of functional inorganic materials and currently include hybrid framework materials, phosphors for solid state lighting, and inorganic nanoparticles. 

Rao is the National Research Professor of India, Linus Pauling Research Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, and Honorary Professor at the Indian Institute of Science. His research interests are in the chemistry of materials. He has authored nearly 1000 research papers and edited or written 30 books in materials chemistry. 

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Cheetham AK, Rao CNR, Feller RK. Structural diversity and chemical trends in hybrid inorganic-organic frameworkmaterials. Chemical Communications. 2006 42(46) 4780-4795. 

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